Nothing By Chance Blog

18 Buckets of Money: Product Merchandising

For many people, once they launch a website, they do so thinking that “Ok, now the money will just come rolling in.” Depending upon the business, they may just do very well. But, having spent the best part of the last 20 years working with websites, I can tell you that more often than not, it takes a bit of time. Unfortunately, for many businesses (web or otherwise) the number one reason for failure is under-capitalization. Thus, making money right off the bat serves the long term vision of the business best of all. Because I wanted my customers to do well (and therefore be able to pay their bill), I looked for ways to create alternative revenue streams, while the core business would grow in the time they needed. Over a period of time, I was able to discover eighteen of what became known as the “Buckets of Money”. This is column six in an eighteen column series… so with that said, on with the show.

This one is rather straightforward. Once you have built an audience and generated some true brand recognition as well as loyalty… you can now benefit from it. Here is another way to do so. For the record, this list is not meant to be final or complete. These are merely some ideas to run with. Your site, your audience and your own offering will dictate the directions you can/should take. So, get that bucket ready… here we go:

T-Shirts – Who has not seen a product logo on a tee? Look in your own closet, perhaps you own a Nike, a Budweiser or even that elusive Berkshire-Hathaway polo. You might even own an actual Polo, polo!

Coffee Cups – Same thing here, there are literally hundreds of companies out there who would be delighted to put your logo, your tag line or both on a coffee cup, a mouse pad, a t-shirt or any of another one thousand and one items in whatever quantity you desire.

Think of any product that the people who need your product or service might also want. Let your mind go wild! So, go ahead pull on that personalized fleece jacket, pour a cup of Joe into that customized cup and enjoy the fact that no only do you have these remembrances of your success but revel in the fact that others will want those same treats, and they will pay you for that privilege!

Stay tuned, the next time we are together, we will get to a look into Word Links!